“Don’t seek a super-conscious state. Stay awake, stay aware, stay conscious of those words and contemplate their truth.”
[Continued from 7 August 2005]
F.: “A woman in one group reported that she had suffered for years from a perceived loss. The man she claimed to love had left. She suffered most, she said, when she thought of the ‘wonderful’ times they’d shared and all the things they’d done that they would never do again. She mourned the future events that now would never take place. So our conversation went something like this:
F.: “So those are your thoughts about past events and future events. Would you be willing to set those aside temporarily in order to consider something I can offer?”
Woman: “Sure.”
F.: “In spite of all the suffering you speak of, I want to know this: right now, at this very moment...are you okay?”
Woman: “Yeah, I guess so.”
F.: “No. No guessing. Right now, in this very instant, aren’t you actually okay?”
Woman: “Right now, for this second, yes.”
F.: “Fine. So what about now?”
Woman.: “Yes, for now I’m okay.”
F.: “And what about now. Are you still okay right now?”
Woman.: [Beginning to laugh] “Yes, right now I’m okay.”
F.: “What about the future? Are you going to be okay?”
Woman: “I don’t have a clue.”
F.: “Well, I do, but you never will, unless you realize. You can never have a clue about the future, for it’s the false imagining of a corrupted mind. But leave that for a moment and tell me…aren’t you still okay, at least for right now?”
Woman: [Laughing] “Enough!”
F.: “Enough? Are you sure? [Pause] Do you understand?”
Woman: “I understand your point. The only time I can feel okay is right now, never when my mind is thinking about the past or the future.”
F.: “Go home and sit in the quiet with your last words. Stay with those words. Don’t seek a super-conscious state. Stay aware of those words and contemplate upon them.”
Woman: “I will. Goodbye.”
F.: “That’s paraphrased, but it’s close. Is the point clear?”
Group: “Yes.”
F.: “Then your invitation is the same: Don’t seek a super-conscious state. Stay awake, stay aware, stay conscious of those words and contemplate their truth. Let’s enter the quiet.” Please enter the silence of contemplation.
F.: “So those are your thoughts about past events and future events. Would you be willing to set those aside temporarily in order to consider something I can offer?”
Woman: “Sure.”
F.: “In spite of all the suffering you speak of, I want to know this: right now, at this very moment...are you okay?”
Woman: “Yeah, I guess so.”
F.: “No. No guessing. Right now, in this very instant, aren’t you actually okay?”
Woman: “Right now, for this second, yes.”
F.: “Fine. So what about now?”
Woman.: “Yes, for now I’m okay.”
F.: “And what about now. Are you still okay right now?”
Woman.: [Beginning to laugh] “Yes, right now I’m okay.”
F.: “What about the future? Are you going to be okay?”
Woman: “I don’t have a clue.”
F.: “Well, I do, but you never will, unless you realize. You can never have a clue about the future, for it’s the false imagining of a corrupted mind. But leave that for a moment and tell me…aren’t you still okay, at least for right now?”
Woman: [Laughing] “Enough!”
F.: “Enough? Are you sure? [Pause] Do you understand?”
Woman: “I understand your point. The only time I can feel okay is right now, never when my mind is thinking about the past or the future.”
F.: “Go home and sit in the quiet with your last words. Stay with those words. Don’t seek a super-conscious state. Stay aware of those words and contemplate upon them.”
Woman: “I will. Goodbye.”
F.: “That’s paraphrased, but it’s close. Is the point clear?”
Group: “Yes.”
F.: “Then your invitation is the same: Don’t seek a super-conscious state. Stay awake, stay aware, stay conscious of those words and contemplate their truth. Let’s enter the quiet.” Please enter the silence of contemplation.
Tomorrow: REALIZATION: No Mind
